Loose leaf binder



Sept. 11, 1934. w. o MORGAN 1,973,497 I LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed June 20, 1952 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR VIZ/Z0122 Qflfazyazz Sept. 11, 1934. w. o. MORGAN LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed June 20, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY WzZ/zazzz aflazyazz.

Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES LOOSE LEAF BINDER William 0. Morgan, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Remington Rand Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Application June 20, 1932, Serial No. 618,391

2 Claims.

This invention relates to loose leaf binders and particularly to binders having binder bars carried by the covers with mechanism for operating these bars to either bind a body of sheets therebetween or release the body of sheets for removal, and

in which sheet holding transfer bars are employed having binding posts engaging in the sheet body for holding the sheets in assembled relation, the transfer bars being adapted for association with the binder bars in the binding of the sheet body between the covers.

The invention comprehends the provision of a loose leaf binder construction having leaf supporting transfer bars provided with leaf engaging posts for engagement in the sheet body and provided withmeans for detachably connecting these transfer bars with the binder bars carried by the covers, so that when it is desired to inspect the record or other matter on the sheet, the

binder may be released from its normally bound relation in which the binder bars are firmly clamped against opposite sides of the sheet body along one edge, and upon being released, the binder bars may be separated, and will also 5 separate the transfer bars, so as to loosen the binding connection with the sheet body in order to allow the sheets to be partially separated and loosely supported relative to one another without detachment of the transfer bars from connection with the binder bars, or detachment from the covers; but at the same time permit the sheets to be opened to lie substantially flat for inspection of the records on any sheet particularly reading matter that may be adjacent to the binding 5 edge.

In addition, the invention provides a structure that will provide for the ready removal of the sheet body from connection with the covers in binder bars through moving the transfer bars and the sheet body relative to the covers, so as to move the transfer bars relative to the binder bars for detaching the connecting means between the transfer bars and binder bars, in order that the sheet body with the transfer bars may be removed for the manipulation of the sheets to either remove one or more sheets or to insert one or more sheets in the sheet body.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective of a loose leaf binder embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevation of the binder. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation in expanded position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan of binder and sheaf folding members in locked relation.

Fig. 5 is a plan similar to Fig. 4 with the members illustrated in position for separation; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line VIVI of Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 1 a loose leaf binder 10 is pro- 3 vided with a pair of covers 11 connected along their inner or rear edges by means of an extensible flexible back portion 12 of well known construction, the back portion having a fixed con nection with one cover and a telescoping connection with the other cover in the usual manner. Opposed plates 15 are mounted on the inner edges of the covers and reversely turned to form longitudinal marginal openings 16 for receiving hinge pins 1'7, and the inner edges or margins of the plate are cut across the openings 16 to provide spaced slots 18 and 19 adjacent their opposite ends.

Each plate 15 pivotally supports a binder bar 20 having ears 22 struck outwardly therefrom and 7 normally disposed in the slots 13 where they are pivotally secured to plates 15 by the pins 1'7. Key hole slots 23, having their narrower slot portions 25 extending in the same direction, are formed adjacent the ends of each binder bar 20.

The transfer bars 26, each of which normally lies contiguously along one of the binder bars 20 when a sheet body is secured in the binder, are provided with rivets 27 rigidly secured thereon and extending laterally therefrom. Suitable heads 28 are formed on the ends of the rivets which extend from one side of each bar 26 and these heads are adapted to extend through the key hole slots 23 to be locked in the narrower portions 25 by longitudinal movement of the bars 26 in one direction relative to bars 20. A pair of binding posts 29 extend rigidly from the inner side of each transfer bar 26 and the posts of the one bar are staggered with respect to the posts of the other bar. Openings 30 in each transfer bar 5 register with the ends of the posts on the other transfer bar and center or gauge the bars 26 when they are drawn toward each other. When the bars 20 and 26 areassembled they lie in adjacent relation beside each other, the covers being freely movable on the hinge pins 17, and slots 19 may be provided in parts 15 if desired, to provide substantial clearance between heads 28 and parts 15 although the construction as illustrated in the drawings does not necessitate the 0 use of the slots 19.

An adjusting device 32 is mounted in the binder and comprisesa yoke 33 having flexible binding strips 35 secured to its opposite ends, and its intermediate portion is provided with openings 36 for slidably receiving a ratchet bar 37 that is rigidly mounted upon the inside of the cover 11. A pawl 38 mounted on the yoke for engagement with the ratchet bar 37 provides for releasing and adjusting the yoke at any desired position along the ratchet bar. The strips secured to the ends of the yoke extend through slots 39 in the inner margin of one of the plates 15 and their ends are fastened to the other plate 15. These strips also slidably extend through slots 50 in the binder bars 20, and the transfer bars 26 are provided with notches 52 which open in the same direction from an intermediate portion of the transfer bars to their edges. This adjusting device 32, the yoke 33, and the bind ng strips are constructed and operate in a manner already well known.

In utilizing the binder, a sheaf or body of leaves 53 is provided with perforations 55 through which the binding posts 29 are inserted from opposite sides. This operation may be performed either while the transfer bars are removed from the binder or while the assembled binder is open with the posts exposed. If the sheaf or body of leaves is mounted upon the binder posts while the bars 26 are removed from the binder, the as sembled bars and sheaves are subsequently inserted in the binder and the rivets 27 locked in the key hole slots 23. During this operation the yoke 33 is in released position and the flexible strips 35 are loose and accordingly can be readily flexed to dispose them in the notches 52. Then the yoke is moved along the ratchet bar to tighten the strips and bind the bars 20 and 26 against the 1 sheaf or body of sheets.

If it is desirable to remove the sheaf of leaves or to add new leaves it is only necessary to loosen the adjusting device 32 and disconnect the rivets from the key hole slots 23. As viewed in Fig. 2, the sheaf is firmly bound, and in this position, it is sometimes difficult to obtain access to the inner margins of the leaves for examination. However, by loosening the adjusting device the required degree, the body of sheets can be loosened for proper presentation of the inner leaf margins in the manner shown in Fig. 3 because the contiguous connecting bars 20 and 26 at one side of the binder move together so as to be drawn away from the connected bars 20 and 26 at the opposite side of the binder. This loosens and expands the binder to loosen the sheets on the binding bars for separation from each other while still being retained on the binding posts in the binder, and a separate operation is required for disassembling the bars 20 and 26 in order to remove the sheet body or the sheets from the binder.

While it is preferable to use a pair of transfer bars 26, it is to be understood that the invention may be applied in a binder using only one bar 26 while posts similar to the posts 29 opposite the transfer bar will be mounted on the binder bar 20. The posts on the binder bar and posts 29 on the transfer bar will always be the same length and sufficiently long to normally extend through the sheet body so that each sheet will be supported by all of the posts in the binder. The binding mechanism including the tapes 35 will allow expansion of the binder so that the binder bars may be separated sufficiently in released position to provide for movement of the posts out of overlapping relation into a separated relation with the ends spaced apart so the sheets may be removed from the posts.

In manipulating the binder using only one transfer bar, the entire sheet body may be removed on the one transfer bar whenever desired as the posts are long enough to normally extend through the sheet body. When sheets are to be inserted or removed from the binder, the sheet body is divided at the point where a sheet is to be removed or inserted and one part of the sheet body so separated is left in the binder on the posts carried by the binder bar while the other part of the sheet body is removed with the transfer bar and the desired sheet removed or another inserted. If a sheet is to be inserted or removed at another part of the sheet body, then the transfer bar with its part of the sheets is assembled with the remaining sheets and the sheets then separated at the part where the next sheet is to be removed or inserted and so on. The operation of the binder in changing sheets is the same using one transfer bar as it is when using two, except that the transferring has to be done in the binder in part on account of the posts carried by the binder bar.

It will, therefore, be understood that the above described construction provides a new combination in a loose leaf binder by which the binder bars with the connected transfer bar or bars may be partly separated from each other while the posts on the transfer bars will hold the sheets intact and in bound relation due to their overlapping in the sheet body so as to provide sufficient looseness between the sheets that the binder can be opened to a greater extent in order to allow the sheets to lie substantially flat on the open covers when the binder is laid upon a table or other supporting surface.

The sheets in the open position of the binder,

while still being held in bound relation on the posts of the transfer bars, and still held in bound relation in the binder by reason of the connection of the transfer bars to the binder bars, will be opened up to such an extent that the records thereon can be readily read closely to the binding edge of the sheets in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, while with the ordinary types of binder constructions as now made, it is difficult to read the records or other printed matter on the inner edges of the sheets because they normally assume a position somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 2.

This invention clearly overcomes this difficulty, and in addition provides a binder where the transfer bars are detachably connected to the binder bars so that the binder bars may be separated in opening the binder and the transfer bars held in connected relation with the binder bars to substantially loosen the sheet body for separation and use in the manner shown in Fig. 3. When it is desirable to transfer the sheet body by re-' moving it from the binder, the sheet body and transfer bars can be readily detached from the binder bars by moving the transfer bars longitudinally on the binder bars to detach the parts from the key hole slots. The binding strips 35 cooperate with the transfer bars through engagement in the notches 52 and aid in retaining the transfer bars in interlocked engagement with the binder bars so as to prevent accidental disengagement of the transfer bars from the binder bars. However, the transfer bars may be readily disengaged through moving the binding strips out of the notches 52. In such cases where it may not be necessary or desired, the recesses 52 may be elongated to a suflicient extent to permit relative movement of the transfer bars on the binder bars for disengaging the head 28 of the rivet from the key hole slot.

The invention claimed is:

1. A loose leaf binder comprising a pair of binder members, binding means connecting said binder members operable to move said binder members toward each other for binding a plurality of sheets and operable to release said members for movement apart to release the binding of said sheets, a pair of transfer bars, means detachably interlocking each of said bars to a re spective one of said binder members for movement therewith, said transfer bars having sheet engaging posts adapted to extend through openings in said sheets for supporting said sheets in bound and relatively loose relation, the posts on said bars extending in offset overlapping relation in the attached relation of said bars and binder members, said transfer bars being detachable from said binder members by movement in the plane of said bars relative to said binder members for removal of the sheets from said binder with said transfer bars as a unit, and said transfer bars being operable with said binder members in attached relation to be moved apart while still maintaining said sheets in loosely bound relation whereby said sheets may be loosely manipulated in the binder to present the surfaces of selected sheets in substantially fully visible relation.

2. A loose leaf binder comprising a pair of binder bar members, binding members for connecting said binder bar members operable to move said binder bar members toward each other for firmly binding a plurality of sheets between said bar members, and operable to release said bar members for movement, apart to release the binding of said sheets, a transfer bar member, laterally extending headed rivets on one side of one of said bar members, another of said bar members having key hole slots for receiving said rivets and cooperating therewith to detachably retain said transfer bar member on one of said binder bar members for operation therewith, sheet retaining posts carried by said bar members at opposite sides of said binder, the posts carried at one side of said binder being in ofiset overlapping relation relative to the posts carried at the other side of said binder, said transfer bar carrying certain of said posts at its respective side of said binder, the detachment of said transfer bar from said binder bar member cooperating to normally detach sheets carried thereon with said transfer bar as a unit, and said transfer bar member being operable with said binder bar member in attached relation to be moved away from the other binder bar member while still maintaining said sheets in loosely bound relation, whereby said sheets may be loosely manipulated in the binder to present the surfaces of selected sheets in substantially fully visible relation.

WILLIAM O. MORGAN. 

